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Duhaime's Law Dictionary

International Will Definition:

A will which which is valid if meeting the requirements of an international wills statute and notwithstanding deficiencies in form as regards to domestic wills.

In California Jurisprudence, 3rd Ed. (2006), the authors write that an international will is recognized in California because of the implementation of the Uniform International Wills Act. Under that statute:

"... a will is valid, as regards form, irrespective of the place where it is made, the location of the assets or the nationality, domicile or residence of the testator, if it is made in the form of an international will, in compliance with statutory requirements.

"An international will must be made in writing, but need not be written by the testator, and may be written in any language; certain formalities must be observed, but the testator's signature is not always necessary."

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Duhaime Lawisms

Every gentleman ought to know a little of the law, says (Edward) Coke and perhaps, say we, the less the better.
G. Beckett in The Comic Blackstone (1876)

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Unless otherwise noted, this article was written by Lloyd Duhaime, Barrister, Solicitor, Attorney and Lawyer (and Notary Public!). It is not intended to be legal advice and you would be foolhardy to rely on it in respect to any specific situation you or an acquaintance may be facing. In addition, the law changes rapidly and sometimes with little notice so from time to time, an article may not be up to date. Therefore, this is merely legal information designed to educate the reader. If you have a real situation, this information will serve as a good springboard to get legal advice from a lawyer.